Waterproofing basement with mortar

A waterproof basement can turn this room into a visitor’s bedroom, a work place or an entertainment corner. This is why more and more homeowners begin this home improvement project which is not complicated and can be done without the help of a professional.

The necessary materials:

Epoxy or latex

Garden hose with spray nozzle

Mortar

How to cover up cracks

Surely your basement will have some cracks in it.

Those that are very small can be repaired with a waterproof mix and the larger ones need to be cleaned first and then patched. You should not work without some gloves because you will also use some chemicals.

How to prepare the mortar mix

The mixture you will prepare must have a part of cement and two parts of fine sand. Use enough water until the mixture reaches a reasonable stiffness. In the end, apply the mortar with a putty knife on every place where the water is seeping through.

The chipping process

Where the holes are bigger, you need to chip all the broken areas off. Use the same mixture to fill them and then smooth the entire area with a trowel.

How to fill the cracks

If by any chance water has been trapped outside against the wall, use a weep pipe to get it out. After the pipe is out, the crack needs to be filled with mortar and then left for drying.

Readying for waterproofing

After filling the hole that was made for the pipe, a cement plug should be made that has a cone shape. The part of the cone which is smaller should fit the hole and hold it in place. After a few minutes, the plug will be set and ready for waterproofing. Use the hose first to wet the walls but don’t let water stay on them before you start applying the mix.

How to apply the mixture

For better support, the walls and floor need to be covered with epoxy and latex. If you want, you can replace these with a mixture made out of cement and water. The mixture resulted needs to be applied through a circular motion. You should start from the bottom and then go all the way to the top. If you feel the need, you can use more than one coat.

How to wet the area

When the coating is completely dried up, wet again the entire area and leave it like this for hours. After the walls get dry, the lower area should be wet. Finally, you can apply a second coat of mixture.